Hatter in New York
by kaboomduck
Summary: An epilogue to the miniseries. The story takes off straight after Hatter reunites with Alice, following the events that happen after that and a little glimpse at Wonderland  particularly the Dormouse and the tea business  after Hatter's departure.


"**Where's your hat?**" Alice asked as the two sat down on the dining table; Hatter was sitting across her grinning happily, knowing that he had finally found a home, or at least, a life to share with someone. "Why, you missed it? I thought it'd be better to leave it back in Wonderland." he said in his usual high-pitched British accent. It hasn't been long since he and Alice shared a kiss and a hug when they were reunited – Alice had decided to throw in a simple welcome party by inviting him to stay for dinner. Carol Hamilton, her mother, was more or less confused by their closeness with each other, still wondering on how a construction worker named 'David' knew her daughter so well when they had just met moments ago. "Mom, meet Hatter, he's a friend." Alice told her a while ago, looking happier than ever. "Ehrm." Hatter interrupted, "It's David now." "Yes," she corrected, glancing awkwardly at him, "I'll tell you all about it later, mom. You don't need to worry, I've known him long enough to trust him." she smiled at David and he smiled back, then he turned to Carol and kept smiling. If it weren't for later explanations, the poor woman would've kept that worried, confused, tired and utterly surprised face on for as long as David and Alice were there.

Back at the dining table, the two kept talking while Carol just sat and stared. "I don't know. You don't look like Hatter without the hat. A Hatter's not a Hatter without his hat." Alice said, to which David gave a glance at Carol and chuckled. "Mrs. Hamilton, I think you ought to know more about me." David said. Carol turned to Alice, still bewildered, and she also gave a short chuckle, much to Carol's annoyance.  
>"I come from a far place away from the city, and met Alice here when uh,"<br>"—when I went for vacation to Europe." Alice helped, nodding as she said, "You remember, mom, when I went to search for daddy?" Carol nodded slowly once, and returned to eating.

The two resumed their conversation, "What if I don't want to be Hatter anymore? I mean, that was who I was back in Wonderland, which I suppose, isn't the same as before now." David said casually. "You looked good in that hat." Alice replied, drinking in a little water. "Fine. I'll go buy a hat tomorrow, that good enough?" "You don't have a job, do you?" Alice was a bit confused, knowing that David has never lived in the other side of the looking glass before. He assured her that he has one, as a construction worker, and left after they finished.

The next morning, the two went for a walk downtown, laughing and holding hands like young couples in love. They went into a shop, looked around for a hat that looked like Hatter's and settled with a black one with a card on its side that's written '10/6'. "Now that suits you well." she laughed. "What's with the card?" "It looks fine, now come on!" Alice said, pulling him by the arm. Wonderland has never seen so distant for the both of them, running around the city, going places after places with the intention of showing David the ropes, but it ended up as a trip of joy and laughter.

The two sat down on a bench in Central Park, taking in a breather after the tiring day. They sat silent for a while, resting under the cool shadows of the trees above, distant shouts of children and the barking of dogs. "I never knew you had a real name, 'David'. Or did you call yourself that when you came here?" Alice asked, curious at his change, for he had remained by the name Hatter for as long as she knew him. He took off his hat, looked at it for a while and threw it up in the air where it landed on his head after a few seconds. "Remember why they called me Hatter? I just assumed it'll be the name I'm known as in Wonderland. They say it suits me, and to tell the truth, Alice, I was once as eh, mad as a hatter."  
>"Really? I don't believe you." Alice said, putting up a puzzled face – Hatter was eccentric by all standards, but never crazy like the Hatter she read in children's books.<br>"It's true. Working for both sides of the kingdom makes you crazy sometimes, you know. The tea business was good, but you can't tell who's delusional or not by the effects of my trade. There was no one who trusted me at all, Alice, till you came along." He spoke sincerely, turning to face her by the time he finished talking. Alice smiled softly, unsure of what to say. She just went ahead and hugged him tight, keeping that smile on her face, happy now with her life.

Three weeks later, David quit the construction job for a better one – he ended up working in a corner street coffee shop downtown. "I used to run a tea shop," he said to the manager, "but coffee will do here." And he smiled his usual charming smile, a smile that would earn him employee of the month. Someday he will open a tea shop again, he told Alice, one that didn't need oysters for the ingredients of course, and she'll always tell him that it'd work better if he's in Britain. He refused to think about it and went on, though every morning he'd make a cup of tea and drink, seated on a chair strikingly similar to the one he had in Wonderland.

...

Somewhere in the high-rise buildings of Wonderland in an abandoned flat, the Dormouse oversaw the workers take away furniture and other items in the room; bottles of teas were kept in a separate box to be handled later. "Don't trample over the grass if you'd please." She said as she shook her head slowly, imagining how upset the owner would be if he was here. It didn't matter though, for he was gone, and with the things in the apartment, Dormouse would have a big sale coming ahead now that the old tea business was dead. A worker approached the far end of the room to grab a hat stand and brought it over just in time for Dormouse to stop him in his way. She took one particular brown hat, a favorite of the man who used to live here, and allowed the rest to be taken away. "Oughta keep this one for keeping's sake." She muttered to herself, and when the room was empty, save for the unmovable cabinet and plants, she turned around to face it for the last time.

"We're gonna miss you, Hatter." She softly said, "Already did, anyways."

And with that, the lights went out in the defunct tea business building, now abandoned save for the lingering memories of emotion, sales and the life-changing day when they first met a girl named Alice.


End file.
